Fibremaxxing: Australians eat about 20 g of fibre a day. Here's how to get to 30
Fibremaxxing means deliberately eating more fibre, and it is the food trend of 2026. In Australia the gap is real: the latest national nutrition survey puts average intake at 19.2 g a day for women and 22.3 g for men, against Adequate Intakes of 25 g and 30 g. You can close it with ordinary supermarket food, such as a tin of beans, frozen veg, oats and fruit with the skin on. Go up gradually and drink more water as you do.
What is fibremaxxing?
Fibremaxxing is the name social media gave to a simple idea: make fibre the nutrient you chase, instead of protein. After two years of protein in everything, food trend forecasters picked fibre as the 2026 successor, and the interest is real. Johns Hopkins' Center for a Livable Future cites a 9,500% jump in page views for EatingWell articles mentioning fibre over a single year.
Unlike a lot of food trends, this one points in the right direction for most people. Fibre is the nutrient Australians are most reliably short on, and closing the gap doesn't need a special product.
How big is Australia's fibre gap?
The 2023 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, the first national check of what Australians eat since 2011–12, puts average fibre intake at 19.2 g a day for women and 22.3 g for men.
Australia's fibre gap
Average daily fibre intake (bar) against the Adequate Intake and the higher Suggested Dietary Target, adults, grams a day.
Source: ABS 2023 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (as reported in The Conversation, Oct 2026); NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values.
Show the numbers
| Group | Average intake | Adequate Intake | Suggested Dietary Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women adults | 19.2 g | 25 g | 28 g |
| Men adults | 22.3 g | 30 g | 38 g |
Two benchmarks matter. The Adequate Intake (25 g for women, 30 g for men) is the level that keeps digestion working normally. The Suggested Dietary Target (28 g and 38 g) is higher and is set at the intake linked with lower risk of chronic disease. On average, women reach about 77% of their Adequate Intake and men about 74%. Against the target, men are at about 59%.
The reason isn't a mystery. Most fibre comes from plants, and in the 2022 National Health Survey only 6.5% of adults ate the recommended serves of vegetables. We break that down in our National Nutrition Week piece.
Why fibre is worth chasing
- Digestion. Insoluble fibre (wholegrains, vegetable skins) adds bulk and keeps things moving.
- Steadier energy. Soluble fibre (oats, legumes, many fruits) slows digestion and blunts the rise in blood glucose after a meal.
- Fullness. Fibre and protein both help you feel full. In the limited head-to-head research they look about equally effective.
- Your gut bacteria. Fermentable fibres are food for the microbes in your large bowel.
- Long-term health. A large 2019 review in The Lancet found people eating 25 to 29 g of fibre a day had a 15 to 30% lower risk of dying early, and of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer, than people eating the least.
The fibre in everyday Australian foods
Values below are from the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database, worked out per typical serve. We've added kilojoules so you can see the energy that comes with each one.
| Food | Serve | Fibre (g) | Energy (kJ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baked beans in tomato sauce | ½ of a 420 g can (210 g) | 10.1 | 800 |
| Frozen mixed vegetables, cooked | 1 cup (150 g) | 8.9 | 281 |
| Wholemeal pasta, cooked | 1 cup (150 g) | 8.6 | 879 |
| Red kidney beans, canned, drained | ½ can (120 g) | 7.8 | 529 |
| Brussels sprouts, boiled | 1 cup (155 g) | 7.4 | 298 |
| Chickpeas, canned, drained | ½ can (120 g) | 6.8 | 569 |
| Pear, skin on | 1 medium (180 g) | 5.4 | 416 |
| Peas, frozen, cooked | ½ cup (80 g) | 4.9 | 209 |
| Avocado | ½ (80 g flesh) | 4.7 | 522 |
| Mixed grain bread | 2 slices (76 g) | 4.4 | 819 |
| Chia seeds | 1 tbsp (12 g) | 4.0 | 219 |
| Rolled oats, uncooked | ½ cup (40 g) | 3.8 | 626 |
| Apple, skin on | 1 medium (150 g) | 3.8 | 363 |
| Psyllium husk | 1 tsp (4 g) | 3.5 | 33 |
| Almonds | 30 g handful | 3.3 | 716 |
| Linseed (flaxseed) | 1 tbsp (10 g) | 3.3 | 188 |
| Brown rice, cooked | 1 cup (190 g) | 3.2 | 1,317 |
| Raspberries, frozen | ½ cup (65 g) | 3.1 | 131 |
| White rice, cooked (for comparison) | 1 cup (190 g) | 1.5 | 1,252 |
The two cheapest wins in that table live in the freezer and the tinned aisle. Frozen peas and mixed vegetables are frozen soon after harvest and keep for months, and a tin of beans or chickpeas is one of the cheapest sources of fibre in any Australian supermarket, house brand or not.
What a 35 g day actually looks like
No powders, no special products. This is a fairly normal day of eating with a few deliberate choices.
A normal day that clears 30 g
Fibre from four ordinary meals. Dashed lines mark 25 g (women's AI), 30 g (men's AI) and 38 g (men's target).
½ cup rolled oats, 1 tbsp chia, ½ cup frozen raspberries
2 slices mixed grain bread sandwich, 1 pear (skin on)
30 g almonds
Chilli with ½ can kidney beans, 1 cup brown rice
Food values: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database. Serve sizes as listed in the table above.
Show the numbers
| Meal | Foods | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ½ cup rolled oats, 1 tbsp chia, ½ cup frozen raspberries | 10.9 g |
| Lunch | 2 slices mixed grain bread sandwich, 1 pear (skin on) | 9.8 g |
| Snack | 30 g almonds | 3.3 g |
| Dinner | Chilli with ½ can kidney beans, 1 cup brown rice | 11 g |
| Total | 35 g |
That day lands around 35 g, comfortably past the Adequate Intake for both women and men and close to the men's target. Notice where most of it comes from: a breakfast built on oats, and one legume-based dinner. If you only change one meal, change one of those two.
Swaps that add fibre without changing what you eat
| Swap | Extra fibre |
|---|---|
| Add 1 cup frozen mixed veg to fried rice, soup or a pasta sauce | +8.9 g |
| Stir ½ can kidney beans or lentils into a mince dish | +7.8 g |
| White pasta to wholemeal pasta (1 cup cooked) | +5.3 g |
| Add 1 tbsp chia to yoghurt or oats | +4.0 g |
| White rice to brown rice (1 cup cooked) | +1.7 g |
| Eat the apple skin instead of peeling it | +1.1 g |
Stack two of these on a normal day and you've moved most people from the national average to the Adequate Intake.
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How to fibremax without the bloating
- Go up gradually. Add one fibre-rich food every few days over two to three weeks. Jumping 15 g overnight is the usual reason people give up.
- Drink more water. Fibre, especially soluble fibre and psyllium, works best with plenty of fluid.
- Spread it out. Some at every meal is easier on the gut than one giant bowl of beans.
- Food before powder. Whole foods bring several types of fibre plus vitamins and minerals. A supplement can top you up, but it isn't the same thing.
- Know when to get advice. If you live with IBS, inflammatory bowel disease or another gut condition, some high-fibre foods can make symptoms worse. Talk to your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before a big change.
Should you track fibre?
You don't need to count it forever. A week of paying attention usually shows where your gap is, and for most people it's breakfast and lunch. When you log a meal by photo in OzCal, the breakdown shows fibre next to kilojoules, protein, carbs and fat, so the week tells you quickly whether the swaps are working.
See it on your own food
OzCal logs meals by photo, barcode or voice against 86,000+ Australian foods, kilojoules first. Free on iPhone, now in open beta.
Common questions
How much fibre should I eat a day in Australia?
The NHMRC Adequate Intake is 25 g a day for adult women and 30 g for adult men. The higher Suggested Dietary Target, set for lowering chronic disease risk, is 28 g for women and 38 g for men.
Is fibremaxxing safe?
For most healthy adults, eating more fibre from food is safe and sensible. Increase it over a few weeks rather than overnight, drink more water, and spread it across the day. If you have IBS, inflammatory bowel disease or another gut condition, talk to your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian first.
Which everyday food has the most fibre?
Per typical serve, legumes lead: half a 420 g can of baked beans has about 10 g, and half a can of kidney beans about 8 g. Per 100 g, psyllium husk (about 89 g), chia seeds and linseed (about 33 g each) are the most concentrated.
Does fibre keep you fuller than protein?
Both help. Protein is well known for fullness, but soluble fibre slows digestion and insoluble fibre adds bulk. In the small amount of head-to-head research, the two look about equally effective, and legumes give you both at once.
Are fibre supplements as good as food?
Supplements such as psyllium can help, but they supply one type of fibre. Whole foods bring several fibre types plus vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds, so food first, supplement if needed.
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Sources
- ABS, Food and nutrients 2023 (National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey)
- M. Murray (Swinburne), "Which is more filling, protein or fibre?" The Conversation, republished by 1News, 12 Oct 2026. Fibre intakes from the 2023 NNPAS.
- NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values: Suggested Dietary Targets (Eat For Health)
- FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database (AFCD), food values used in every table
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, "Food trends 2026: fiber-maxxing, global foods and more"
- Reynolds A. et al., "Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses", The Lancet, 2019
- ABS, Dietary behaviour 2022 (National Health Survey)